ABOUT ME
It all started out when I was a kid and my father rescued a
female Springer from a pound in Maine.
We took her back home to New Hampshire and she sat in the back seat next
to me on her bum like a human and cried all the way home. She cried because she
was so happy we rescued her. Her name was Flossie and she became my best friend.
Back then when you got a dog from a pound they did not have to get spade.
My Dad bred her and I was hooked.
He soon got another female Springer named Jessie.
When I moved out on my own I took Jessie with me; Flossie had passed away
by that time and Jessie was up there in age.
I soon rescued a male Springer named Buster. By the time I started a
family they had both passed away. My
Dad came to me with a Springer male pup named Freckles from Iowa.
He had two Springers already that he used for hunting and had no room for
him. So I took him and he got to
grow up with my two handsome sons and beautiful step daughter.
I soon met someone that had a female and they wanted to breed with him
because they just wanted a pup from her and was going to spade her afterwards.
She was a classic looking show dog type and Freckles was a very old
fashion looking Springer. Very English looking, long ears and so many freckles
he had no room for any more. I kept
a female puppy which became my foundation bitch.
I wanted to breed her but wanted to do things right. I introduced myself
to Julia and Alex Merriman of Willowbank Springers in Foster, Rhode Island.
She though my male was a very nice English looking boy.
At this time I had already had him neutered.
Although the conformation of my female was not show ring material, Julie
liked her bone and her old fashion look she had.
She thought she was related to one of her dogs, but was not, although she
did have some good old fashion lines dated back in her.
Most important to Julie was her temperament.
She was the sweetest Springer ever.
I must say very mellow too, almost like having a stuffed animal, as my
husband at the time would say. For
years with Julie’s guidance, I turned out a litter a year. I have much respect
for her judgment and was thrilled she took me under her wing.
From there she had introduced me to Laura Rudman-Robie of Snowspring
Springers in Amherst, New Hampshire.
I turned out a nice litter with one of her sires.
Helena Hayden of
Aneleh Springers
in Hollis, New Hampshire was also involved in the circle of experienced breeders
that Julia trusted and I was soon introduced to her.
Helena has taught me a lot.
As Julie and Laura do, she looks at the pedigrees and tries to bring out the
best in the next generation. We all
do the proper testing hoping to better the breed and try to eliminate the things
that do not work. With so many
topics to keep on top of with new things going wrong in every breed, Helena goes
to many conventions learning new things about reproduction, genealogy and
everything else she can learn. When I have a question, I usually call her before
I ask my vet. Her knowledge and
records she keeps are valuable and her pursuit to learning all she can is
priceless. The best part of this journey I have had since I started breeding is
the amount of good people I have met along the way.
I still sell my dogs to people that have bought from my first litter.
Although I many not seem them every day like family or neighbors, they made that
connection when they adopted a dog from me.
Many of then I consider just as close. My dogs are my life.
That has been a problem for some people in my life, but they have never
let me down. My kids are grown now
and I do miss the puppies growing up without them.
I do take them on hikes and cuddle with them on the couch and make them a
part of the family while they are here.
I enjoy the outdoors and try to get them out as much as possible.
My dogs for the most part have been placed with families, although I have
many of them out there that have become hunters and others that have jobs in Law
Enforcement. One recently has passed
away after 16+ years of doing search and rescue work.
I have in the past always docked my tails. I am hoping that now that they
are allowed in the show ring with long tails and are winning that people will
come around to leaving the tails natural.
They are beautiful dogs with long tails and I have had many request to
keep them long over the last couple of years.
All my dogs are OFA and have their eyes CERF.
I also do a DNA test for PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy).
All dogs are PRA normal.
Well, that is about all there is to tell you about me all
wrapped up in a little nut shell.
Not too much to tell, it is always about the dogs.
I
ABOUT ME MY DOGS UPCOMING LITTER PAST PUPPIES
AVAILABLE PUPPIES ASK ME AM I A BAD DOG
Robin Zira • Halfmoon English Springers • Tamworth New Hampshire • rzira63@gmail.com • 603-845-7565